Actress Jessica Walter Dies at 80
Jessica Walter, whose Emmy-winning acting career included roles on Arrested Development and Archer, has died. She was 80.
Walter’s daughter, Brooke Bowman, told Deadline that her mother died in her sleep at home in New York City on Wednesday.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of my beloved mom Jessica,” Bowman told Deadline. “A working actor for over six decades, her greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling both on-screen and off. While her legacy will live on through her body of work, many will also remember her for her wit, class and overall joie de vivre.”
Jessica Walter grew up in Brooklyn and got her start acting in plays. In 1963, she won the Clarence Derwent Award for outstanding debut Broadway performance for her role in Photo Finish.
She moved on to TV and movie roles throughout the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, appearing in classics; like The Love Boat, the soap opera One Life to Live, and Murder, She Wrote. She won an Emmy in 1975 for her role in the limited series Amy Prentiss.
Walter’s career hit another peak with the comedy series Arrested Development. Walter was perhaps most popular for her role as Lucille Bluth, the matriarch of the Bluth family, on Arrested Development; which aired on Fox from 2003 to 2006 and was revived by Netflix in 2013.
Her character was famous for her reactions to the antics of her four adult children, many of her facial expressions became memes on social media. Walter received an Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series in 2005 for the role.
